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BILLY CRYSTAL DOUBLES DOWN ON HIS THOUGHTS ABOUT THE WILL SMITH SLAP
By AMANDA RAY BYERLY
In the wake of actor Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards, comedian, actor, and former Oscars host Billy Crystal called the altercation an "assault" and "a most disturbing incident." Now, Crystal has doubled down on his opinion in a way that makes his initial statement seem tame.
During an appearance on CNN+'s "Who's Talking to Chris Wallace," Crystal told host Chris Wallace, "I love Chris and we're friends and I so respect him. I just thought [the slap] was wrong. It's a crime." Crystal added, however, that he was concerned for Smith as much as he was for Rock.
In his earlier statements about the slap, Crystal said that audience members acting on impulse is nothing new, and he'd taken precautions to control the crowd during his many stints as an award show host. Smith has publicly apologized to Rock, and the Academy has banned Smith from the Oscars for the next ten years.